Daniel 5
Nueva Versión Internacional (Castilian)
La escritura en la pared
5 El rey Belsasar ofreció un gran banquete a mil miembros de la nobleza, y bebió vino con ellos hasta emborracharse. 2-3 Mientras brindaban, Belsasar mandó que le trajeran las copas de oro y de plata que Nabucodonosor, su padre, había tomado del templo de Jerusalén. Y así se hizo. Le llevaron las copas, y en ellas bebieron el rey y sus nobles, junto con sus esposas y concubinas. 4 Ya borrachos, se deshacían en alabanzas a los dioses de oro, plata, bronce, hierro, madera y piedra.
5 En ese momento, en la sala del palacio apareció una mano que, a la luz de las lámparas, escribía con el dedo sobre la parte blanca de la pared. Mientras el rey observaba la mano que escribía, 6 el rostro le palideció del susto, las rodillas comenzaron a temblarle y apenas podía sostenerse. 7 Mandó entonces que vinieran los hechiceros, astrólogos y adivinos, y a estos sabios babilonios les dijo:
―Al que lea lo que allí está escrito, y me diga lo que significa, lo vestiré de púrpura, le pondré una cadena de oro en el cuello y lo nombraré tercer gobernante del reino.
8 Todos los sabios del reino se presentaron, pero no pudieron descifrar lo escrito ni decirle al rey lo que significaba. 9 Esto hizo que el rey Belsasar se asustara y palideciera más todavía. Los nobles, por su parte, se hallaban confundidos.
10 Al oír el alboroto que hacían el rey y sus nobles, la reina misma entró en la sala del banquete y exclamó:
―¡Que viva el rey para siempre! ¡Y no se alarme ni se ponga pálido! 11 En tu reino hay un hombre en quien reposa el espíritu de los santos dioses. Cuando vivía el rey Nabucodonosor, tu padre, se halló que ese hombre poseía sabiduría, inteligencia y gran percepción, semejantes a las de los dioses. Tu padre llegó a nombrar a ese hombre jefe de los magos, hechiceros, astrólogos y adivinos. 12 Y es que ese hombre tiene una mente aguda, amplios conocimientos, e inteligencia y capacidad para interpretar sueños, explicar misterios y resolver problemas difíciles. Llama a ese hombre, y él te dirá lo que significa ese escrito. Se llama Daniel, aunque tu padre le puso por nombre Beltsasar.
13 Daniel fue llevado a la presencia del rey, y este le preguntó:
―¿Así que tú eres Daniel, uno de los exiliados que mi padre trajo de Judá? 14 Me han contado que en ti reposa el espíritu de los dioses, y que posees gran agudeza e inteligencia, y una sabiduría sorprendente. 15 Los sabios y hechiceros se presentaron ante mí para leer esta escritura y decirme lo que significa, pero no pudieron descifrarla. 16 Según me han dicho, tú puedes dar interpretaciones y resolver problemas difíciles. Si logras descifrar e interpretar lo que allí está escrito, te vestiré de púrpura, te pondré una cadena de oro en el cuello y te nombraré tercer gobernante del reino.
17 ―Puedes quedarte con tus regalos, rey, o dárselos a otro —le respondió Daniel—. Yo voy a leerte lo que está escrito en la pared, y te explicaré lo que significa.
18 »El Dios Altísimo dio al rey Nabucodonosor, tu padre, grandeza, gloria, majestad y esplendor. 19 Gracias a la autoridad que Dios le dio, ante él temblaban de miedo todos los pueblos, naciones y gente de toda lengua. A quien él quería matar, lo mandaba matar; a quien quería perdonar, lo perdonaba; si quería ascender a alguien, lo ascendía; y, si quería humillarlo, lo humillaba. 20 Pero, cuando su corazón se volvió arrogante y orgulloso, se le arrebató el trono real y se le despojó de su gloria; 21 fue apartado de la gente y recibió la mente de un animal; vivió entre los asnos salvajes y se alimentó con pasto como el ganado; ¡el rocío de la noche empapaba su cuerpo! Todo esto le sucedió hasta que reconoció que el Dios Altísimo es el Soberano de todos los reinos del mundo, y que se los entrega a quien él quiere.
22 »Sin embargo, y a pesar de saber todo esto, tú, hijo de Nabucodonosor, no te has humillado. 23 Por el contrario, te has opuesto al Dios del cielo mandando traer de su templo las copas para que bebáis en ellas tú y tus nobles, vuestras esposas y concubinas. Te has deshecho en alabanzas a los dioses de oro, plata, hierro, madera y piedra, dioses que no pueden ver ni oír ni entender; en cambio, no has honrado al Dios en cuyas manos se hallan tu vida y tus acciones. 24 Por eso Dios ha enviado esa mano a escribir 25 lo que allí aparece: Mene, Mene, Téquel, Parsin.
26 »Pues bien, esto es lo que significan esas palabras:
»Mene: Dios ha contado los días de tu reino, y les ha puesto un límite.
27 »Téquel: Has sido puesto en la balanza, y no pesas lo que deberías pesar.
28 »Parsin: Tu reino se ha dividido, y ha sido entregado a medos y persas».
29 Entonces Belsasar ordenó que se vistiera a Daniel de púrpura, que se le pusiera una cadena de oro en el cuello y que se le nombrara tercer gobernante del reino. 30 Esa misma noche fue asesinado Belsasar, rey de los babilonios, y Darío el Persa se apoderó del reino. 31 Para entonces, Darío tenía sesenta y dos años.
Daniel 5
New King James Version
Belshazzar’s Feast
5 Belshazzar the king (A)made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. 2 While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels (B)which his [a]father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought the gold (C)vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank wine, (D)and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.
5 (E)In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. 6 Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his (F)knees knocked against each other. 7 (G)The king cried [b]aloud to bring in (H)the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke, saying to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck; (I)and he shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Now all the king’s wise men came, (J)but they could not read the writing, or make known to the king its interpretation. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly (K)troubled, his countenance was changed, and his lords were [c]astonished.
10 The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came to the banquet hall. The queen spoke, saying, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your countenance change. 11 (L)There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your [d]father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your [e]father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. 12 Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and [f]explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, (M)whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.”
The Writing on the Wall Explained
13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel [g]who is one of the captives from Judah, whom my [h]father the king brought from Judah? 14 I have heard of you, that (N)the [i]Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15 Now (O)the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not give the interpretation of the thing. 16 And I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and [j]explain enigmas. (P)Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”
17 Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation. 18 O king, (Q)the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your [k]father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor. 19 And because of the majesty that He gave him, (R)all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he (S)executed; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down. 20 (T)But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. 21 Then he was (U)driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, (V)till he [l]knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses.
22 “But you his son, Belshazzar, (W)have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. 23 (X)And you have [m]lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the (Y)vessels of [n]His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, (Z)which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand (AA)and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. 24 Then the [o]fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written.
25 “And this is the inscription that was written:
[p]MENE, MENE, [q]TEKEL, [r]UPHARSIN.
26 This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; 27 TEKEL: (AB)You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; 28 PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the (AC)Medes and (AD)Persians.”[s] 29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him (AE)that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
Belshazzar’s Fall
30 (AF)That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. 31 (AG)And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.
Footnotes
- Daniel 5:2 Or ancestor
- Daniel 5:7 Lit. with strength
- Daniel 5:9 perplexed
- Daniel 5:11 Or ancestor
- Daniel 5:11 Or ancestor
- Daniel 5:12 Lit. untying knots
- Daniel 5:13 Lit. who is of the sons of the captivity
- Daniel 5:13 Or ancestor
- Daniel 5:14 Or spirit of the gods
- Daniel 5:16 Lit. untie knots
- Daniel 5:18 Or ancestor
- Daniel 5:21 Recognized
- Daniel 5:23 Exalted
- Daniel 5:23 The temple
- Daniel 5:24 Lit. palm
- Daniel 5:25 Lit. a mina (50 shekels) from the verb “to number”
- Daniel 5:25 Lit. a shekel from the verb “to weigh”
- Daniel 5:25 Lit. and half-shekels from the verb “to divide”; pl. of Peres, v. 28
- Daniel 5:28 Aram. Paras, consonant with Peres
Daniel 5
International Children’s Bible
The Writing on the Wall
5 King Belshazzar gave a big banquet for 1,000 royal guests. And he drank wine with them. 2 As Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave an order to his servants. He told them to bring the gold and silver cups that his ancestor Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. King Belshazzar wanted his royal guests to drink from those cups. He also wanted his wives and his slave women to drink from them. 3 So they brought the gold cups. They had been taken from the Temple of God in Jerusalem. And the king and his royal guests, his wives and his slave women drank from them. 4 As they were drinking, they praised their gods. Those gods were made from gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone.
5 Then suddenly a person’s hand appeared. The fingers wrote words on the plaster on the wall. This was near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote.
6 King Belshazzar was very frightened. His face turned white, and his knees knocked together. He could not stand up because his legs were too weak. 7 The king called for the magicians and wise men to be brought to him. He said to the wise men of Babylon, “I will give a reward to anyone who can read this writing and explain it. I will give him purple clothes fit for a king. I will put a gold chain around his neck. And I will make him the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”
8 So all the king’s wise men came in. But they could not read the writing. And they could not tell the king what it meant. 9 King Belshazzar became even more afraid. His face became even whiter. His royal guests were confused.
10 Then the king’s mother came into the banquet room. She had heard the voices of the king and his royal guests. She said, “My king, live forever! Don’t be afraid! Don’t let your face be white with fear! 11 There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the days of your father, this man showed understanding, knowledge and wisdom. He was like the gods in these things. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, put this man in charge of all the wise men. He ruled over all the fortune-tellers, magicians and wise men. 12 The man I am talking about is named Daniel. The king gave him the name Belteshazzar. He was very wise, and he had knowledge and understanding. He could explain dreams and secrets. He could answer very hard problems. Call for Daniel. He will tell you what the writing on the wall means.”
13 So they brought Daniel to the king. The king said to him, “Is your name Daniel? Are you one of the captives my father the king brought from Judah? 14 I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you. And I have heard that you are very wise and have knowledge and understanding. 15 The wise men and magicians were brought to me to read this writing on the wall. I wanted those men to explain to me what it means. But they could not explain it. 16 I have heard that you are able to explain what things mean. And you can find the answers to hard problems. Read this writing on the wall and explain it to me. If you can, I will give you purple clothes fit for a king. And I will put a gold chain around your neck. And you will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”
17 Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts for yourself. Or you may give those rewards to someone else. I will read the writing on the wall for you. And I will explain to you what it means.
18 “My king, the Most High God made your father Nebuchadnezzar a great, important and powerful king. 19 God made him very important. So all the people, nations and those who spoke every language were very afraid of Nebuchadnezzar. If he wanted a person to die, he put that person to death. And if he wanted a person to live, he let that person live. If he wanted to promote a person, he promoted him. And if he wanted a person to be unimportant, he made him unimportant.
20 “But Nebuchadnezzar became too proud and stubborn. So he was taken off his royal throne. His glory was taken away. 21 Then Nebuchadnezzar was forced away from people. His mind became like the mind of an animal. He lived with the wild donkeys and was fed grass like an ox. He became wet with dew. These things happened to him until he learned his lesson: The Most High God rules over the kingdoms of men. And the Most High God sets anyone he wants over those kingdoms.
22 “But, Belshazzar, you already knew these things. You are a descendant of Nebuchadnezzar. But still you have not been sorry for what you have done. 23 Instead, you have turned against the Lord of heaven. You ordered the drinking cups from the Temple of the Lord to be brought to you. Then you and your royal guests drank wine from them. Your wives and your slave women also drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood and stone. They are not really gods. They cannot see or hear or understand anything. But you did not honor God. He is the One who has power over your life and everything you do. 24 So God sent the hand that wrote on the wall.
25 “These are the words that were written on the wall: ‘Mene, mene, tekel, parsin.’
26 “This is what these words mean: Mene: God has counted the days until your kingdom will end. 27 Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found not good enough. 28 Parsin: Your kingdom is being divided. It will be given to the Medes and the Persians.”
29 Then Belshazzar gave an order for Daniel to be dressed in purple clothes. A gold chain was put around his neck. And he was announced to be the third highest ruler in the kingdom. 30 That very same night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonian people, was killed. 31 A man named Darius the Mede became the new king. Darius was 62 years old.
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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